The Cardinal Countdown: 70 Days Until Kickoff

2021 Season Recap: Trevor Reid is one of the names you should know as a Louisville football fan. The guy has been on the line for what seems like 3-4 seasons (even though it’s only been 2) and last year he played in all thirteen games, starting 12 of them at left tackle. Reid has good size, but what impresses me the most is his ability to get to the next level which is absolutely critical to free up long runs for Malik or the backs. The clip below likely wouldn’t show up on his highlight reel from 2021 but I loved it. Reid (top of the screen at LT) makes contact with three defensive players on a single play and is a big reason the end result was six points.

1. He engages and pushes the end (#98) towards the middle of the field removing him from the play.

2. Instead of just pushing the end another five yards he releases and goes to the second level to chip linebacker #47, effectively preventing him from chasing down Malik for a short gain a few seconds later.

3. He gets further upfield and first slows, and then chips shortside linebacker #10 removing any opportunity he may have to make a play late.

Go ahead and watch it three, four, seven times and watch a different defender each time. Incredible effort from Reid.

2022 Season Outlook: What I want to see from Reid is basically just more of the same. He wasn’t without fault last year as I think he still got beat more than I’d prefer to see (Malik’s mobility saved numerous sacks) but overall his performance was impressive to me, especially still trying to fill the massive shoes left my Becton a few seasons ago. If they can get another thirteen games out of Reid and he can remain healthy I think he’s a great anchor on that side of the line with an All-ACC guy in Chandler. While I hope we see some of Gonzalez (because I also like him) I want to see Reid playing so well that can’t afford to keep him off the field.

Sweet Tweet:

Maybe it’s just escaped my mind but I don’t remember seeing O-linemen do box jumps and some of these other crazy atheltic feats 20 years ago. I feel like we threw some big dudes out there who worked on technique and the mental aspect of the game but more or less just used their size and strength to move bodies. In todays world, and in the Satterfield offense, these guys need to be able to move around, be quick on their feet, and have enough strength to not just drive folks off the ball but push them down field as well. This may be “hot take-ish” but I think the majority of guys playing D-I football today (including O-linemen) are in better athletic shape all around than some of the “star players” in college football twenty years ago. Developments in physical training and starting at a younger age overall has really changed what product we see on the field in 2022. These guys are all freaks….and I mean that lovingly.